"Now honey do you think you could tell me your name?" A woman with a cool voice asked me calmly.

I opened my eyes groggily. A blinding white light was shining in my face. The whole place looked white. The cool white linomeum tiles, the cheaply painted walls, the stark white of the doctors and nurses clothes. Their shiny fake looking white shoes, even their fake white toothy smiles. It was all white. So blinding.

"I'm Pixie," I mumbled groaning. "Pixie Elizabeth Curtis but Two-Bit calls me Pixiedust, am I at the hospital?"

The woman ignored my question and glanced down to her clipboard. "And what year is it?"

"1966,"

"And you're how old?"

"Seventeen in a month or so," I said moaning loudly as I clenched my eyes shut. "If I'm in a god damn hospital can't you do something about the pain?" I demanded moodily as I groaned again.

"Do you feel any pain?"

My eyes snapped open and I scowled at her. "I just said that!" the woman's smile faltered slightly. "My leg is killing me!"

"Yes dear it's been burnt," she replied. Why the hell did she just ask me then! "I'll go let the doctor know you're awake."

I considered muttering curse words to her as she sauntered off her fake blonde hair bouncing happily. But I withdrew all bad thoughts about her as searing pain yet again soured through my leg and I bit my lip until it was bleeding to divert the pain but it only seemed to make it worse.

"Now Pixie we'll need you to take some painkillers for the pain quite obviously," A man informed me as he walked in the room, I'm gonna guess he was Dr. Gray as that's what his badge said. "You got quite a nasty burn up your right leg but it'll heal in due time without any scarring hopefully and you'll still have full use of that leg during its healing."

"I only got burnt them?" I asked him testily. I was wary of doctors I'll admit. I hate to say it but they scare me. I mean they're the ones that tell you whether or not you're gonna die when you go here, 'course they scared me! "Nothin' else?"

"No not at all," he informed me passing me a glass of water and some odd looking white pills. "You are quite lucky you didn't get any more damage. Some bad smoke inhalation but nothing that'll harm. In fact once you've had those you can join, uh Ponyboy? Yes, Ponyboy, in the waiting room if you wish."

I nodded and swallowed the pills and took a big drink of water. "Thanks doctor, will I have to change that?" I asked him glancing down to my leg, which had a huge bandage down the right side of the right leg.

"Yes. I'll inform your guardian, your older brother it says, about it when he comes." Dr. Gray told me. "Would you like me to show you to your brother?"

"Yes please," I smiled gratefully slipping off the stiff hospital bed and slightly limping next to him. "But doctor?"

"Yes?"

"How is Johnny? And Dally?"

"Dallas Winston has a burn similar to yours on his arm, but we're keeping him in overnight," I resisted snickering when he said that. Dally would not be impressed to say the least. "We aren't able to disclose anything about Johnny Cadeto anyone but his family."

"We are his family!" I cried out looking distressed.

"I'm sorry," He told me looking pretty genuine. "There's your brother, seems he's been joined by two others."

I glanced down the corridor and saw Ponyboy being hugged to death by my two other brothers. I smiled to myself and the doctor walked away. Sodapop glanced up and his face was full of relief.

"Pixie don't you ever, ever do that again! You hear me?" He cried out rushing over to me and hugging me in the same fashion.

I mumbled and pushed him off of me. "Sodapop I wanna breathe!" I said loudly as I started to cough and I waved him away. "Stop hanging over me Soda!"

Darry and Ponyboy made their way over looking filled with the same relief but Sodapop kept hanging off of me like I was some sort of, I don't know, cripple!

"You 'kay Pixie? They wouldn't tell me anything!" Ponyboy said looking peeved.

"'Course I'm okay, how are you blondie?" I asked him with a grin.

"Don't remind me," Ponyboy grumbled and Darry turned and looked at me sternly.

"Think you could've told us the truth huh Pixie?"

"And you think Dally would let me?" I replied. "He's back now ain't he!"

"We were worried to death!" Sodapop and Darry said loudly. "Emily looked freaked when me and Two-Bit went to see her at school to find out where the hell you were!" Sodapop told me.

I flushed slightly. "Sorry. But he's back!"

"Yeah and you both look like the dead," Darry muttered.

I glanced at Sodapop for confirmation and he nodded and I groaned.

"I look that bad?"

"You look awful." Sodapop said happily slinging an arm around me. "So what's that thing on your leg then?"

"Burn,"

"Ohh really?" he asked curiously staring at my leg. "Does it hurt?"

I nodded. "Well yeah."

"Can I see?" Sodapop asked eagerly. "If I poke it will it hurt?"

Darry rolled his eyes and pushed him towards the door. "I don't wanna see it and no one else does either. Poke it and I'm sure she'll slap you little buddy, now come on Ponyboy looks ready to drop."

I giggled slightly at the thought of me slapping Sodapop. I glanced to Ponyboy, he sure looked like he was dead. He was walking around looking very zombie-fied and the living dead was a pretty dead on way to describe him. Oh god did I just make a pun? I must be tired!

"C'mon Pixie, you don't look too good yourself," Darry told me quietly putting an arm 'round my shoulders. "I wish you had've told us though, at least we would've known were you were,"

"You don't wanna know," I told him my eyes wide shaking my head. "Ew there were rats!"

"Yeah you know what I mean,"

I smiled. "Uh huh I do, but hey he's back now. And I'll have you know they were gonna come backfire or not and I didn't even convince 'em. I imagine Dal would've murdered me had I."

Darry laughed slightly and opened the door to his truck and shoved me inside. "Wouldn't surprise me."

"Shh!" Sodapop said ironically then slamming the door to his side of the truck shut. "He's asleep dummies,"

I rolled my eyes and glanced down to the slumbering Ponyboy who was wedged between Sodapop and I. Not the most comfortable ride of my life but I've had worse. The time we all, by we I mean everyone, well not my parents of course but the gang and Emily, tried to wedge ourselves into Two-Bit's car…that was the weirdest experience of my life to say the least…

"Are you serious?" I demanded my hands on my hips staring at them all as if they were insane. Then again after just telling me that I'm positive they are. "That's like a safety hazard or something!"

Sodapop grinned at me. "Aw now come on Pixie we're only gonna go to our house from here!"

"With eight other people," Emily chimed in from behind Sodapop with a happy grin on her face. "Come on we'll get to squash them!"

"Like you could squash anyone!" Darry laughed picking Emily up and putting her on his shoulder as she squealed in protest. "She's a stick!"

"Twig!" Ponyboy and Johnny taunted and I giggled slightly and Emily poked out her tongue in the usual eleven-year-old fashion.

"Fine," I sighed loudly. "But does he really have to drive?" I demanded jabbing my thumb in the direction of Two-Bit who was now having a cartwheel race with Steve and Sodapop.

"It's his car," Darry shrugged to me.

I sighed loudly. "Fine just hurry up about it,"

"Yay!" Sodapop and Steve shouted.

I rolled my eyes.

Dally grinned at me and looked to the others. "So how many of us are cramming into here?"

"Nine!" Emily called out enthusiastically whilst Dally ruffled her hair up on Darry's shoulders. "And me and Pixie ain't gonna be on the bottom or we'll die!"

"Neither are Johnny or me!"

"Johnny or I," I corrected under my breath and Darry smiled at me.

"Okay now you three," Two-Bit said importantly pointing to Darry, Dally and Sodapop, "Are going in the back with the girls on top of you," I couldn't help but roll my eyes but Emily giggled, "And somehow you three are going in the front."

I stifled my laugh, "they won't fit in the front with you, Pony should come in back,"

"Fine just hurry up about it, I don't want people to see me with you kids," Dally grumbled.

"And what are you?" I asked sarcastically but he never responded.

Then somehow we all actually fit in the car. It was actually pretty humorous now I think of it. Emily was half out the window screaming her head off at her brother and Ponyboy was half out the other window looking too scared to even shout. And I was totally squishing Dallas Winston and Sodapop but I didn't mind, they roped me into it. Actually the front looked awful appealing at that point.

"Wow I sure never wanna be without you guys!" Emily shrieked laughing as she fell out of the car once we got to my house. "You make my life the best! Don't you reckon Pixie?"

Pixie. Pixie. Pixie!

"What?" I cried out my eyes snapping open as I felt myself fall out the car.

"Pixie," Darry said loudly. "Come on, they're both in bed now, you fell asleep, and out of the car," he snorted slightly.

I flushed but it was too dark to see. "Oh."

"What were you dreamin' 'bout? You sure looked happy,"

"Do you remember when we all fitted inside Two-Bit's car?"

Darry laughed. "Yeah?"

"Just that…things were so perfect back then. When I was fourteen." I sighed and slowly made my way up to our house with Darry. "I can't imagine how Ponyboy copes you know, I mean he was thirteen, when I was thirteen and fourteen my life was perfect and I was so…childish."

"Weren't we all." Darry said sighing himself. "Goodnight Pixie, don't like lie on your leg, I think it might hurt."

I nodded and winced slightly as I felt the first really burning sensation run through my leg, the first outside the hospital that is. Darry never heard and disappeared off to his room and I sighed to myself and trudged upstairs to my own room and flopped onto my bed, as ashy and disgusting as I was I fell asleep in an instant. I was out like a light.